[The diagnostic trap of acute pancreatitis with normal pancreatic enzymes]

We report the case of a patient admitted in Emergency Care for abdominal pain and whose biological assessment did not show any increase in pancreatic enzymes. The abdominal CT-scan revealed pancreatitis of grade E according to the Balthazar radiological score. A diagnosis of acute necrotic pancreatitis secondary to hypertriglyceridemia was thus made. In cases of acute pancreatitis, the rate of pancreatic enzymes may rarely be normal for unclear reasons. In the case of an evocative clinical presentation, the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis cannot be ruled out on the basis of this normal dosage. A CT-scan of the pancreas is then indicated to confirm the diagnosis.